Current audiences have seemed to lost interest in the musical. The only recent theatrical release was the film adaptation of "The Fantasticks", which only played on ten screens before being sent to video. Before that, the film had sat on the shelf for five years. The big-budget television version of "South Pacific" hit the small screen with only mediocre reviews and decent ratings. I can't say that I've ever been a fan of the genre, either - in fact, it ranks high up on my least favorite. Yet, there's a couple that I've found watchable thanks to the talent both in front of and behind the camera. "Fiddler On The Roof" is one of those instances.

The story was one of the most beloved stage musicals of the time, based on a story by Sholom Aleichem. When the movie was eventually released, the built-in audience helped grosses for the picture and also likely helped send in new converts to the play. The film centers around Tevye (Topol) a milkman in a small Russian farming village who desires to keep the family's traditions in place in regards to marrying off his remaining daughters - yet, they would rather seek out their own loves than find themselves set up by a matchmaker. This situation is especially true for Tzeitel(Rosalind Harris), who would rather be with the town's poor tailor than the rich butcher. Things become worse though, as not only do his other two daughters follow in suit and seek loves of their own, but it also seems that he and his wife, Golde(Norma Crane) might also have to leave their small village due to Government unrest.

Really, the only problem that I've had with "Fiddler On The Roof" is that it feels a bit too long at three hours. The 1979 re-release was taken down by director Norman Jewison to a tighter 149 minutes. I've never seen that version, so I don't know exactly what is omitted - from what I've heard, the songs stay intact, but some minor character details get the boot, as does the intermission (which is here). Anyways, I still find the film highly enjoyable. The performances from a diverse and talented cast are uniformly terrific, especially Topol, who has the unenviable task of carrying a three-hour picture mainly on his own shoulders and pulls it off quite well. I guess I've never really liked musicals all that much because the sudden breaking into songs often seems jarring and apart from the story itself. In "Fiddler", the majority of the songs are directly related to the story itself - they seem born naturally from the situations that the characters are in. That, and the songs are generally entertaining and well-written.

All of the technical credits are nothing short of superb for the nine million dollar production. Oswald Morris won Best Cinematography for the film, John Williams won Best Score and the picture also gained a Best Sound win. Production and Art Design were also rightfully recognized with nominations, as well. The film racked up several other nomations, as well, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. Although Topol and the picture itself didn't score a win at the Oscars, they fared better at the Golden Globes, where both the actor and the picture walked away winners.